When I was deployed to Iraq in 2003, I saw the worry on the faces of the soldiers in my National Guard platoon as they heard the news of Hurricane Isabel barreling toward their homes in the Florida panhandle. This week, Marines deployed to Iraq out of Camp Pendleton must have felt the same fear and anger, watching wildfires creep towards their homes in Southern California.
Firefighters and National Guard troops at last seem to be getting the upper hand in the battle against California's wildfires, which have destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres and displaced half a million people. Our service members and first responders have once again shown their unflagging dedication and courage in times of crisis. But because of our military commitments in Iraq, they have been forced to combat these blazes without adequate personnel or equipment. State and military officials, in California and elsewhere, have warned for years that our National Guard is no longer ready to respond to a major disaster. As Congress considers new emergency supplemental funding for Iraq, we cannot afford to ignore the compromising effect of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on our homeland security.
California's National Guard faced this year's wildfire season with fewer troops and fewer trucks. At least 1500 of the state's citizen soldiers are currently serving as a part of the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Early this summer, both Governor Schwarzenegger and California Guard officials expressed concerns that a truck shortage at home would impede a rapid response to serious wildfires. But this drain of domestic military resources is not unique to California.
According to Lt. General Blum, chief of the National Guard, the reserve component is facing the worst state of readiness in 35 years. Between 2003 and 2005, the Army National Guard left $1.2 billion worth of gear overseas. As a result, 88% of unmobilized National Guard units are considered by the Defense Department to be very poorly equipped. In March, the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves warned that the Guard's equipment readiness substantially impedes our response to domestic crises.
State officials across the country have tried to draw attention to the threat. As early as 2003, Oregon National Guard officials said that the Iraq War deployments would limit their ability to respond to forest fires. Earlier this year, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius said her state's response to devastating summer tornados were delayed because of vehicles shortages. This situation is so dire that, in 2006, all 50 governors signed a letter calling on President Bush to ensure the National Guard is re-equipped.
Solving our readiness crisis is not as simple as a blank check for military procurement, however. Even if every National Guard and Reserve unit in the country had all the equipment they needed, the war in Iraq would still be a major drain on our military personnel. When Hurricane Katrina hit, for instance, one-third of the Louisiana and Mississippi National Guard were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Unfortunately, many of troops sent to Iraq from the National Guard and Reserves are those most needed for emergencies back home. 70 percent of the Army engineering units and almost all of the civil affairs soldiers are in the National Guard and Reserve. These troops have the skills needed to rebuild a country in ruins, but they are also our first line of defense when a natural disaster destroys American infrastructure.
Last week, President Bush requested an additional $45 billion in "emergency" funding to bankroll the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This money would bring the total cost of the wars to about $650 billion so far. After years of war, the operating costs of our mission in Iraq and Afghanistan should be predictable. On the home front, however, we are facing real emergencies. Keeping our first responders overseas raises the risks we face here at home when natural disaster strikes.
And there is another looming threat. Many have made the argument that we are "fighting over there so we do not have to fight them over here." But what if we have to do both? The overextension of our military slows our response not only to hurricanes, tornados and fires. It could also hinder our reaction to another terrorist attack on our soil.
Paul Rieckhoff, the executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), is the author of ''Chasing Ghosts: Failures and Facades in Iraq: A Soldier's Perspective."